The Break Presents – Rot Ken
When it comes to rap’s rising stars, Rot Ken is an inescapable name. As of late, the Augusta, Ga.-bred talent has been ascending with tracks like "007," "No Mind" and the SoFaygo-assisted "Beautiful," all of which flex his ear for spellbinding beats and molten flows that swoosh between rapping and singing. With each release, whether a full project or loosies, it's evident that Ken’s artistry has gotten more divine with time.
Artistry was always a focal point in Rot’s life. Growing up, he used to watch music videos on demand. In the eighth grade, he got his first taste of rocking the stage by way of freestyling in the school bathroom. That moment led to Ken starting a rap group with his friends called the Rock Out Twins, hence where the first half of his moniker comes from today. Sooner than later, his mom took him to the studio for the first time and the rest was history.
After trying his hand at recording, one of the first records that got him traction was "Hope I Blow," which was released in 2019, and housed on his project, Heartless. From then on, his status in his hometown began to balloon and he took advantage of that by releasing efforts like Heartless 2, Chapter 16 and Happiness Gone in 2020. Into the following year, Rot found himself behind bars, but that didn’t stop his motion. He continued to hone in on his craft, rapping with his cellmates Rod and Rocky. The group would pick words and freestyle about them all night, and whoever messed up would lose.
Shortly before Rot’s release in the summer of 2022, his project Free Me was pushed off into the world. Off of it, tracks like "Baby Choppa" and "Beautiful" with SoFaygo began to blow, with the latter counting upwards of 3 million Spotify streams at the moment. As the year progressed, Rot signed a joint venture with Taz Taylor and Nick Mira’s Internet Money, Jetsonmade’s Boy Meets Space and 10K Projects. In early December, Ken unloaded a a no-skips effort called Yahweh Child, which ends on a high note with "007," a breakthrough record that currently has over 5 million Spotify streams and counting. "No Mind" is also on the up-and-up, and proves how there’s always something in his catalog that catches fire.
Rot Ken has plenty more in the pipeline, as his brand of head-bouncing street poetry continues to rope in the masses. Right as his career is taking off, and following the release of his latest statement on wax, Rot stopped by this week’s episode of The Break: Live to discuss his early, but established roots in the rap game. Check out the interview below.
Follow Rot Ken on SoundCloud and Instagram
Standouts:
"007"
"Beautiful" featuring SoFaygo
"No Mind"
"Baby Choppa"
Yahweh Child